Hallandale Beach Blog - A common sense public policy overview offering a critical perspective on the current events, politics, govt., public policy, sports scene and pop culture of the U.S., South Florida and Europe, especially the UK and Sweden.

What follows is what I hope will prove to be some useful context to better help you understand my tweets of this afternoon about voluble #NeverTrump's Rick Wilson attempts to engage the news media in some selective historical revisionism.Roll Call The Downfall of a Pragmatic Republican How the late Bob Bennett's ouster from the Senate foreshadowed Trump Posted at May 10, 2016 5:00 AMBy Niels Lesniewski

The death of the much-admired former Utah Sen. Robert F. Bennett just hours after Donald Trump effectively secured his party's presidential nomination reminded official Washington of the first visible stirrings of the unrest that Trump has now ridden to the top of his party.

Before there was Trump’s "beautiful wall," or oath to make America great again, there was this: Bennett, a party stalwart with a reputation for pragmatism and deftness at the pork-barrel politics that made compromise possible, brought to tears at a 2010 nominating convention as he realized that his own party was ousting him after 18 years in the Senate.

The Roll Call article concerns arrogant, condescending &
patronizing longtime Utah Senator Bob Bennett, who, by almost any reasonable objective, was easily one of the least-liked
people in D.C. for years in large part because of how badly he treated people,
whether they were Congressional staffers, members of the news media, Capitol Police, other
Senators or the general public.Unlike what the article would have you believe, Bob Bennett was NOT a prince of a
fellow, he was a prick of a fellow.I'm not exaggerating when I say that Sen. Bob Bennett was perhaps more genuinely loathed by more people on
Capitol Hill than anyone I ever met between the 15 years I lived and worked in the D.C. area between 1988 and 2003. And trust me, there are many more legitimate contenders to that crown than you dear readers can possibly know, many of them people who, while no longer on the Hill, per se, are still part of the Washington firmament, either as lobbyists, Think Tank 'thinkers" or at supposed non-profits.

And that's regardless of
party or ideology, since many Republican members and staffers I knew pretty well literally got a cold chill down their spine whenever they spotted Bennett coming towards them.And did you forget that I knew who Julian Epstein was years before he became a regular face on MSNBC in the '90's after the Lewinsky scandal broke?Now there was a guy who was loathed in a non-partisan way by a lot of people on Capitol Hill! And with good reason!!

Eventually,
after 18 years in the Senate, enough average Utah GOP voters had had quite enough of Bob Bennett and his grating personality, sanctimonious ways and know-it-all persona to say "No thanks, we'll take it from here."

Unlike
the Beltway media, I was not at all surprised when news came that he
had come in third place in the 2010 Utah GOP Convention, and was thus
denied renomination to the Senate he had come to think was his
birthright.

So, given that, dig this bit of selective historical revisionism from Wilson we get fromRoll Call:

But
it was six years ago that he became the first victim of the first
strike of what has lately become a full-blown “civil war inside of the
Republican Party,” said Rick Wilson, a Republican political strategist
and media consultant.

“That was the rumblings, the preview of the beginning of the first
act,” Wilson said. “Now we’re in the second, and it’s getting much
louder, much uglier, deciding whether we’re going to be a conservative
party or a nationalist, populist party in the image of Donald Trump. And
it’s a very hairy moment for conservative Republicans.”

But
it was six years ago that he became the first victim of the first
strike of what has lately become a full-blown “civil war inside of the
Republican Party,” said Rick Wilson, a Republican political strategist
and media consultant.“That was the rumblings, the preview of the beginning of the first
act,” Wilson said. “Now we’re in the second, and it’s getting much
louder, much uglier, deciding whether we’re going to be a conservative
party or a nationalist, populist party in the image of Donald Trump. And
it’s a very hairy moment for conservative Republicans.” - See more at: http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/downfall-pragmatic-republican#sthash.kVe84Dpi.dpuf

Here's the reality: Bob Bennett was very rich, tall, enjoyed using that size differential of his to intimidate people, loved using political power to get what he wanted, and had a grand sense of entitlement that was completely out of proportion to anything he had ever actually accomplished while in office in 18 years.

To top it off, Bob Bennett was pushy and nasty to people whom he thought simply had
to sit back and take it, take whatever he chose to dish out.

In that respect, Bob Bennett was completely UNLIKE former Florida Senator and Governor Lawton Chiles, a man I respected since I was a teenager precisely because of how well he treated all people, regardless of who they were, and how very hard he worked to do his job to the best of his ability. #diligent

(I've detailed this before on the blog but for some of you newcomers to the blog, here's a quick history lesson connecting me and former U.S. Senator and Florida governorLawton Chiles.

I first met and campaigned with Sen. Chiles in 1976, when he ran for re-election the first time.

In fact, he and I were even filmed together one Saturday morning for about thirty minutes by the-then WCKT-TV, Channel 7 -the then-NBC-TV affiliate for Miami- as he and I walked door-to-door campaigning in a middle-class North Miami Beach neighborhood just a few blocks away from the Dade County Carter-Mondale HQ, which was located in a strip mall behind the much-beloved and iconic Krispy Kreme donut shop on N.E. 167th Street and N.E. 6th Avenue. I picked up some donuts afterwards and ate them when the news segment with me came on! :-)

Many years later, in Washington, before he finally made the decision to run for governor, I had the good fortune to get to know Sen. Chiles and his wife Rhea a lot better, and to come to genuinely appreciate their many remarkable and sterling qualities. Many of those conversations with him came on the sidewalks between his Senate office and The Florida House embassy that the two of them had founded for Floridians visiting Washington.Located right across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court, on East Capitol Street, it's a much-beloved institution among many Floridians who travel a lot to and from Washington, and is a place I personally have spent what seems like hundreds of hours at over the years. If not more... Plus, it's where I first had my photograph taken with then-Senator Bob Graham and THE Mickey Mouse. Really.)

Two years after Bennett's ouster, with Republican leaders in Washington still refusing to do what American voters wanted, most especially Tea Party voters, though Sen. Richard Lugar's personality and style were much more refined and professorial than Bennett's, he too was eventually rejected
by generations of Indiana voters after serving 36 years in the Senate. Why?Because he'd increasingly come to be perceived by voters as someone who was permanently disconnected from the
pressing concerns of average Indiana citizens and Small Business owners.

As someone who actually lived in Indiana for over four years while Lugar was representing the state in Washington, I can tell you that Lugar eventuallyLOST the benefit of the
doubt he had enjoyed with Hoosier voters for well over four decades, after becoming perceived -rightly I believe- as part of the permanent Washington establishment, not part of the group of hard-working citizen lawmakers assembled in D.C. trying to actually reform government and make it more accountable to American voters.

I believe that's why Lugar lost in a landslide, as I detailed in my last blog post about Richard Lugar, on May16, 2012: "Richard
Mourdock: Precursor or anomaly? Greg Garrison and Charlie Cook adroitly
pinpoint where Sen. Richard Lugar eventually lost his way, started
losing the trust of Hoosier voters, then lost in a landslide due to the
dis-connect. Points largely lost on a predictably apoplectic Beltway MSM" http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/richard-mourdock-precursor-or-anomaly.html

That a leading #NeverTrump leader like Rick Wilson -who is NOT identified as such in the Roll Call story by the way-
tries to imagine that Bob Bennett's defeat presaged Donald Trump's rise this year, is so self-serving and transparent that it is simultaneously funny AND quite telling. But probably not in a way I'm sure that Wilson would appreciate.

Some
of us who were living and working in DC then and who were pretty
observant about how certain powerful people treated other people who
weren't powerful or influential -just regular people- haven't forgotten what a complete boor
and jerk Senator Bob Bennett was for many years.

Though Bob Bennett and his irksome personality were not on my to-do list when I woke up this morning, I'm happy to take some time here now to set the record straight and remind you of what the #truth is.

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Sophisticated, quality-conscious and keyboard-articulate people whose informed opinions/preferences have a great deal of magnifying power online. Readers of the blog and Followers of my popular Twitter feed who are not just quick to share what they know or think with others via Social Media about news, ideas and their points of view, but who will also share their views with their large audiences about the positive customer/client experiences they have with you. Because nothing succeeds like a quality product or service that comes with quality customer service!
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Owing to my interests and knowledge, there's a good reason that my popular Twitter feed regularly gets tagged by influential Swedish and Scandinavian companies/businesses, and Biz & media personalities -like the Swedish Consulate in New York, which promotes Sweden in trade, investment, cultural and consular affairs- as well as is tagged regularly by South Florida's #1 #RealEstate reporter: RESULTS.
They all know that what they share with me -and what I share with them- gets SEEN AND NOTICED by people whose opinion matters. Brian Bandell of the South Florida Business Journal knows from experience that I not only know what's REALLY going on below-the-radar in the area, but they also know that I can add something new and compelling to the story or idea. Original content that in turn WILL be seen by those very same influencers, pols and businesses and be commented-upon, and becoming part of the ongoing public policy agenda and narrative! Yes, just like your company's ad in this space will not just be seen but NOTICED! For 2018, I'm averaging between 25,000 and 30,000 individual page views a month.#results!

Well, if something is going to be there w/that large a footprint -esp. cars on already #FDOT F-rated #HallandaleBeach Blvd., part of why @Browardinfo nixed an even larger un-related plan there yrs ago- it's a plus that a firm like @SLSHotels, w/v good rep, is running it. ��️����⛳️

���� folk sensation First Aid Kit are playing twice at Brooklyn Steel this week Sept 11-12 �������� The first night is already sold out - but there's still time to secure a spot for their second show. Don't miss out! ��⏳

I'm interested to see what you think. Two developers proposed zero payment for the land. What will the city prioritize, the most money possible from a real estate transaction, or a project that will generate the most economic activity or community benefit?

Jag älskar Stockholm - ST❤️CKHOLM

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, June 2010

My Twitter header currently features my June 2010 screenshot of Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria moments after her wedding in Stockholm. Her smile = amazing, priceless! Should have posted it years ago!

People died at #stonemandouglas b/c school failed to implement a simple security measure that had been recommended twice to teachers & administrators, according to testimony Wednesday. https://t.co/7HFUYC5Z6z

Some BSO deputies couldn’t remember the last time they attended mass-shooter training. Others couldn’t recall what they’d learned when they did attend, investigators reviewing the #stonemandouglas school shooting found. https://t.co/fgqRDM9NlD

MSD Commission member @maxschachter, whose son Alex died at #StonemanDouglas, criticized BSO's command & communication failures. "We had these same command & control problems at the airport [shooting] in 2017. I don’t see why it wasn’t corrected."

Lauren Book said she's heard teachers are afraid to voice complaints due to retribution. "Retribution is something we don't tolerate in district. If people are doing their job, they shouldn't have concerns about that," Runcie said.

What a country of despicable cowards Britain has become. As the eminent @Ayaan so correctly points out, what is the point of an asylum system if the woman most in need of it is denied protection? https://t.co/Tcj1GHkIf3

Yes, as I've said many times to #Broward/#DC friends, despite disagreeing w/him on policy issues. Like great old campaigns signs I've seen -outside of #FL!- Canova is "a voice, not an echo." #DWS is the annoying echo in yr head that U can't get rid of. @Buddynevins@crespogram

Go back in time with the Florida Stories app! Launched by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, the interactive walking tour app will showcase archival photos, architectural renderings and audio histories for 12 locations. https://t.co/sfVh0fWe6G

Makes me wonder what happens when #Wynwood runs out of "genuine" ambiance/atmosphere and everything there feels even more homogenized and/or focus-grouped-to-death than already often seems case. @BillyCorben

Mikaela, my favorite and the most literary and "Big Thinker" of the 3 fabulous Akerman sisters - Malin, Jennifer & Mikaela- also knows how to make a snapshot just pop off the page! Heja Sverige! And Mikaela still writes her wonderful poems and essays with -yes- a typewriter! She is adorable in every possible way! :-)

1/ As usual, I agree w/@CGreenbarg: "Both the #Broward#Schools Auditor and I brought evidence of fraud by a politically connected firm. Reply? “That’s how Broward Schools does business.“ Only an honest outsider could bring reform to a corrupt county." @Colleen_Wright@smtravis

Want to meet other Nordic (minded) people? Head over to the Nordic After Work Social at Hudson Bar in Hudson NYC on Wednesday Oct 17, 6 PM, hosted by our friends at @NordicHouseNY. Come and bring your friends!

Our super-talented singing pal, Cissi Nilsson, continued to keep it real -with style- while on vacation this summer in #Styrsö, on west coast of #Sweden. :-) I can't wait to see Cissi in-person in #STHLM in early 2019, to make up for my postponed trip to Sweden and Iceland this past January, which I was so looking forward to enjoying, and bringing along my favorite human being so that she could see why I LOVE those two places so very much.

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